I’ll Order The Slip and Fall Special Please

A beautiful new restaurant opened up in town, you and a group of friends were first in line to experience it. Your party waited in the lobby area as your table was being prepared. The smells were overwhelming and you couldn’t wait to taste this fantastic food. As your server escorted you and your friends to your table…that’s when it happened.

You never got to order.

When you opened your eyes you were in the hospital. Your eyesight was still a bit blurry and the words coming out of your mouth didn’t sound like you. You were told that while walking to your table in that restaurant you slipped and fell and when you landed, cracked your head. And for the last two weeks you were in a medically induced coma to reduce the swelling around your brain. The physician explained that your eye sight and speech would slowly return.

Apparently the new floor in the restaurant you and your friends went to, did not have an anti-slip coating to it and was very shiny and slick. Unfortunately, you became their first slip and fall injury claim.

Sadly, due to the accident and subsequent hospitalization you have missed two weeks of work so far with another three to four months or more of rehabilitation.

Why do I share this story with you?

I share it to give you an insight and an understanding that slip and falls can happen anywhere. And although some aren’t as extreme as a head trauma, being in a coma or spending months in rehabilitation they can indeed be painful, embarrassing and require some medical care.

So what should you do if involved in a slip and fall?

1. Take Photographs– lots of them. Take pictures of the floors, the surroundings and even the shoes the victim was wearing. Photographs help remove the “guess work” and resolve any factual dispute that parties involved might give.
2. Collect Witness Statements– this has to be moments after the accident when the memory is fresh in the witness’ memories. Get all the details from anyone who saw what happened.
3. Fill Out An Incident Form – include personal contact information (such as name, address, email, phone numbers, age, gender), what the weather was like that day, the condition of the interior of the building, and any information pertinent to the fall.
4. Preserve Video –some places have video running constantly, and depending on the location there could, in fact, be several cameras that captured the incident, the footage will be crucial to determining who is at fault or how the fall occurred.

All slip and fall accidents are covered by negligence law and deal with the area of the law described as premises liability. Property owners have a “duty of care” to see that their property is safe. This includes insuring that a building (interior or exterior) has no structural defects that could cause a fall or temporary hazards or defects. Structural defects can include: loose floor mats, rugs, or tiles; water on the floor; the wrong type of wax or cleaner applied to a floor, poor lighting in stairways, building code violations, and cracks or holes in sidewalks or parking lots. Weather-related hazards include ice and standing water.

Our legal team is always available to consult on slip and fall injury cases. There is no fee for an initial consultation, and if we accept your case we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not get paid until we make a recovery for you.

Call The Law Offices Of David W Holub at 1(219)736-9700 today. Our friendly attorneys are here for you. Oh and make sure you request a copy of our book., “Fighting For Truth: A Trial Lawyer’s Insight Into What It Takes To Win”